Post (NYSE:POST) Sets New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $86.46 and last traded at $86.7350, with a volume of 307481 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $88.41.

Post News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Post this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintained a favorable outlook on Post Holdings (NYSE: POST), with a reported average price target of about $119.40, implying potential upside from current trading levels. Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) Receives $119.40 Average PT from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Post Holdings recently reported earnings per share above estimates, but revenue was slightly below consensus, leaving investors with a mixed but not alarming fundamental update. Referenced article
• Negative Sentiment: POST shares have weakened materially and are trading close to the stock’s 52-week low, signaling ongoing investor concern about growth, leverage, and whether recent results are enough to justify a recovery.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Post from $120.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Post from $127.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Post from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Post in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Post from $133.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Post has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.40.

Post Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $97.93 and a 200-day moving average of $100.04. The stock has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.38.

Post (NYSE:POST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.21. Post had a return on equity of 13.36% and a net margin of 4.01%.The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Post Holdings, Inc. will post 7.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Post

In other news, Director Gregory L. Curl sold 6,186 shares of Post stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.05, for a total transaction of $649,839.30. Following the sale, the director owned 15,107 shares in the company, valued at $1,586,990.35. This trade represents a 29.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 14.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Post

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Post during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $113,660,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Post by 104.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 415,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,155,000 after acquiring an additional 212,325 shares during the last quarter. H Squared Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Post during the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,115,000. Duquesne Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Post during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $18,959,000. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Post by 773.1% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 176,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,231,000 after acquiring an additional 156,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.85% of the company’s stock.

About Post

Post Holdings, Inc is a consumer packaged goods company that operates as a holding company for a diverse portfolio of food and beverage brands. The company’s principal activities include the production, marketing and distribution of ready-to-eat cereal, refrigerated and frozen foods, and nutritional beverages. Through its operating segments—Post Consumer Brands, Foodservice, Refrigerated Side Dishes & Bakery, and Active Nutrition—Post Holdings delivers a broad array of products to retail grocers, convenience stores, foodservice operators and e-commerce channels.

The Post Consumer Brands segment features a variety of hot and cold cereals under names such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Shredded Wheat and Pebbles.